Nureta Kutsu wo Nugisuteta
by TheRoseShadow21
Summary: "And just like that, she blended into the crowds and disappeared. If it wasn't for the ache in his soul and the lightness of his tote bag, Nagisa may as well have just imagined her." Nagisa Shiota and Lisa Mishima cross paths one day, each affecting the other profoundly. But despite this, theirs wasn't a bond that was ever meant to be... Oneshot, rated T to be safe, drably. AU


_ぬれた靴を脱ぎ捨てた_ _  
nureta kutsu wo nugisuteta  
I threw off my wet shoes_

* * *

… _what else can I say?_

* * *

 _The best thing about a rainy night,_ Nagisa thought, _is that the morning that follows it is always bright._ Of course, illumination couldn't get rid of puddles, like the one he'd just stepped in, but that didn't really matter. According to the forecast he'd watched before leaving the house, the day would only get warmer. So once he'd completed his mother's shopping list, he would go sit in a café for a while, give his shoes some time to dry out, and then move on to get the things he needed for his trip the next day.

Walking through the shopping district, his tote bag already heavy and one plastic bag weighing his hand down, he glanced at the puddles that contained a glimpse of the sky. He saw cerulean silk, a few fluffy clouds, all of it blurred by the brightness of the sun. And in one puddle, he saw the sharp blade of the moon.

 _Ah, the moon..._ Nagisa let out a sigh at the sight, and then looked up to properly see it in the sky. He remembered the news stories from when the moon had blown up. He hadn't thought that anything so weird would ever happen. Until the creature responsible turned up to teach his middle school class, of course, announcing that he wanted his students to be the ones to kill him. After that…well, he was pretty impervious to weirdness. Nothing could get more bizarre than his experiences in Kunugigaoka's Class 3E. And almost nothing meant as much to him.

 _Apart from Mum, of course._ The thought coincided with his arrival at the entrance of the next shop he was meant to go to. He stopped, and grimaced to himself. His mother was well…she was what she was, but she was still family. He'd contemplated running away so many times, but those were the times when he had nothing else to bind him to the life he led here. Things were different now, so he could wait it out, wait until he had finished middle school and high school, wait until he'd graduated and moved out. But before all that, he had to kill Koro-sensei. And to that end, they had the island trip the next day. _The trip we fought for, and therefore need to make the most of. But also the thing I'm most looking forward to today._

 _Right, better get on with it then._ Nagisa pulled himself together, stopped musing on things, and then walked into the shop.

 **…**

Other people around her talked loudly on their phones, laughing and yelling and moaning and chatting. Others tapped at the screens eagerly, all their thoughts and feelings draining out of their fingertips. But Lisa just stared at her phone, her eyes heavy and dead. _Missed call: Mother. Missed call: Mother. Missed call: Mother._ She was just so damn tired of this. How many more times would her mother call before figuring out that yes, Lisa had left, just like her own father had done? How far had she been running since last night? _How far?_ She didn't even recognise this part of Tokyo. She could have been in a different part of Japan, or even a different country, for all she knew.

 _Missed call: Mother._ Her phone shrieked and buzzed again, demanding her attention. She let it yell aimlessly. But though she could have turned off the phone, taken out the SIM card, thrown it away, she didn't. Couldn't. _After all, they still need to find me._ Her mind conjured up a smile that rivalled the sun currently in the sky, eyes that were colder than her soaked skin. _Could Hisami-kun's smile dry up my clothes?_ She doubted that, but she wanted it, too.

 _How far have I come? How long have I been wandering for? Long enough to see the night turn into day. Again._ She wondered how long it would be before she got caught up in something that killed her. The moon explosions in April hadn't done anything at all apart from scaring the nation momentarily and bringing the conspiracy theorists out to play. The terrorist attack she had been in so recently had had more impact upon the world. But she hadn't been hurt, and neither had anyone else for that matter. Yet it was only the beginning. _How much longer until something happens and my time comes? How long have I been wandering for? How much further do I have to reach there?_

Lisa shoved the phone in the wet pocket of her dress and staggered along the street. Her head was beginning to pound, she was tired, and she was confused. She weaved confused lines across the asphalt, but the only thing that the others in the street did was move away and tut in annoyance, many glued to devices. Not that she'd expected or wanted any different. She didn't want someone picking up on her state and returning her home. No way. She was waiting for Hisami and Kokonoe. They were dangerous, she knew that, but they were the only things she could trust now. She was heading to them. There was nothing else to do. But…she was just so, so empty.

Eventually, she ran out of steam, and ground to a halt, pulling herself into an alleyway before she completely folded. Breath coming out in puffs and huffs, she checked the time, and discovered that she would be heading into the afternoon. Then, she checked the money she'd hurriedly grabbed in the night, hidden amongst the clothes in her holdall. Notes and coins, they all went into her waist pouch as she counted them, and when she'd finished, she looked at the street opposite her. Boutiques, bric-a-brac shops, an arcade, a motel, hairdressers and other shops besides that. And a café.

Lisa blinked, looking at the front of the café. It looked popular, people going in and out of it rapidly. It looked bright, and friendly. And the coins that jingled in her waist pouch were more than enough to get a cup of tea. Tea that wasn't green tea with coke and Mentos, for that matter. She had more than enough for something along those lines. And so, slowly, slowly, she inched herself out of the alleyway, and across the street. A quick look at the forever crescent moon bolstered her, and she kept going until she reached the door. And then, with all the strength she did not have, she pushed open the door and went inside.

And there, she was faced with a disappointment. Every table, every single table, was full. _I can't do this._ Lisa squelched forward one step, and then another. Oddly, in the warm indoors, her coldness rushed back at her, biting and pinching. She just wanted to sit down, to get something small to drink or eat. But everywhere she looked, there were people, all doing what she wanted to do. All free and enjoying life in a way that she herself couldn't. _Ah, I'm so tired of this. Maybe I should…huh?_

All of a sudden, Lisa froze. A snake started to wrap itself around her, sneaking up from behind, ready to attack, ready to end her. Lisa felt her chest constrict, as if wanting to assist the snake in its suffocation. _Ah. This is the answer. This is how far I've walked, how long I've been walking for. This is it._ Terrified even so, she closed her eyes, ready to let death take her.

" _I want to live!"_

The words she'd yelled down the phone that day to Kokonoe rang in her head, suddenly. Her eyes flew open, she jumped, and in one sudden movement, she whipped around, her bangs stinging her eyes and her holdall smacking her back, ready to fight to the end, no matter how hopeless she was. Except that what she saw wasn't an enemy, but a boy. And not Hisami or Kokonoe, not the two whom the news called terrorists. But a different boy. Shorter than her, although as slight as she was, with bright blue eyes and bright blue hair that reminded her of the sky, or even the sea. He wasn't like the sun, or the ice, but all the same, there was an intensity about him, even with the inquiring expression on his face and the way his hair was in two ponytails. Lisa blinked when she registered that fact. _Ponytails?_ Then, she noticed the boy's hand, half poised in the air, complementing the question on his face.

"Uh…I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't mean to scare you." The boy apologised respectfully, clearly taken aback by the vehemence of her reaction. Lisa reddened. _You silly girl! He's just a middle school boy trying to ask you something! Get a grip._ So that didn't explain the vivid feeling of a snake and her imminent death, but she that hardly mattered. Not anymore.

"No, no, it's fine." _Does he know who I am, is he working on behalf of Hisami-kun? Or…what?_ "Is something the matter?"

"No, I was just…." The boy broke off, looked to the side and rubbed his head, going a little pink. Then, he turned around and pointed to a booth in the café.

"It's just…I noticed you looked like you really wanted to be here, and I'm by myself in the booth, so if you need to sit down you could join me?"

Lisa just blinked at the younger boy again, not comprehending at all. _Booth, wanting, join, sit, café_ …She wavered on her feet and gave the boy an odd look, which seemed to fluster him more.

"It doesn't have to be a big deal or anything. You don't need to chat to me or tell me about yourself or anything like that! Just, share the table and get what you want to eat and go. I just got here myself anyway, so it was lucky I even got the booth in the first place…ehehe…"

The boy became sheepish in his demeanour, but looked at her pleadingly. A bubble of silence grew around them both, muffling the other café noises, and Lisa considered his offer, the best she could consider everything beyond getting away, away, _away_. She rubbed her eyes, trying to find a way to answer this boy, whose kindness fitted him snugly, even if he'd exuded a killing aura. And then her gaze fell upon his shoes and socks. They were dark with wetness. And when she edged her own foot slightly for comparison, she noticed they were the same. And, as stupid as that was, this realisation made her decision for her.

"What's your name?" she asked, looking back up into the sky of the young boy's eyes. He startled, and then pulled himself together.

"Nagisa Shiota. What about you?" _Nagisa. Water's edge. Fitting, that._

"Lisa Mishima." _It doesn't matter, after all. We're just going to share a table, eat and drink something, and then leave. That's all there is to it. That's all._ "Pleased to meet you, Shiota-kun. I'll sit with you."

"Ah, that's good, Mishima-san! I'm pleased to meet you too. Come, my booth is just over here. "

And with an amazingly quiet authority for someone who could only be a third-year middle schooler at the most, Nagisa led the way through the crowds and to his table. And, in the same way she'd been mindlessly searching for Hisami, she followed him, enthralled.

 **…**

Nagisa watched the dark haired older girl-Lisa- carefully as she settled her large hold-all and herself into the bench opposite his in the booth. He had no idea what had made him cross the café and try to 'rescue' Lisa, especially as she was clearly a high-schooler to boot. But seeing the frailness of her demeanour, as if she was actually a china doll and not a girl, he felt glad he had reached out. In comparison to end-of-term exams and assassination attempts, this had been a piece of cake. He pushed aside the fact that he'd apparently given her the worst scare of her life. He seemed to be having that effect on people and he'd just have to deal with it.

As he hadn't had a chance to study the menu before he'd spotted Lisa stumble in desolately, he did so now, and it didn't take him long to decide on the green tea and a chocolate crepe. Once he had come to that decision, he pushed the menu across the table to Lisa. She looked up at him, bangs tousled yet drenched, and she nodded her surprised thanks before scrutinising the menu. He decided to leave her to it, and took out his shopping lists and a pen. He ticked off all the items his mother had asked him to get, before studying his own list. He found himself drawn to the last item: _Get rid of the dress._ It was an old one, one that didn't fit him anymore, so his mother would have probably got rid of it and replaced it with another anyway. But if he pre-empted her and donated it to a charity shop, then he wouldn't have to worry about the threat of another dress for a while. That being said, the next day he wouldn't have to worry about the threat of any dresses for three whole days, but still.

 _A charity shop. That'll be the best approach to take. One that's around here, so she won't accidentally see it in somebody else's arms, or on the form of an actual girl._ He sighed, shoved the shopping list and the pen back in his pocket, and then rifled through his tote bag. The dress was still there, wrapped in newspapers and hidden by the spare carrier bags. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay, Shiota-kun?"

Startled momentarily, Nagisa looked up at Lisa, who was watching him curiously.

"Y-yeah, I am. " He said. "Thanks for asking.

"That's good." Lisa nodded hesitantly.

"So, have you decided what you're going to order? "He asked, figuring that he may as well make small talk.

"Hmm….the strawberry cake sounds like it'll be good and not very expensive either." Lisa unclipped a waist pouch from around her, and deposited it on the table. Water droplets shook themselves off the pouch and rested upon the table. Nagisa raised an eyebrow, and then noticed how Lisa's clothes were plastered to her. _But it hasn't been raining today…._

Lisa noticed him noticing, and went bright red, wrapping her arms around herself. She appeared to shrink away from him, but she still gave him a defiant glare.

"I don't have an umbrella." She said fiercely, in a way that suggested that she didn't want to have to justify herself. Nagisa laughed and raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, despite his realisation that it hadn't rained today, but it _had_ rained _last night_. After all, his own shoes were pretty drenched.

"It's fine, really." He soothed. "I've been known to forget things too. That's why I always write things down. Like with today, I'm doing some shopping for my mum, and then I'm getting a few extra clothes and things because I have a school trip tomorrow and I need to prepare for that."

Unexpectedly, Lisa flinched at the word 'Mum'. _Don't blame you._ But when he mentioned the trip, she made an effort to seem social, and leaned forward slightly, interested. Her arms, which had been wrapped around her, relaxed and fell to her sides.

"A school trip in the summer holidays?"

"Y-yeah, it's to an island off of Okinawa. It's like this reward that they offer to my year for doing well in their end-of-term exams. Our class all managed to do that, and we're pretty excited since it's a luxury holiday with all expenses paid by the school. "

For obvious reasons, he didn't explain that his class had leapt at the possibility of the trip because it was a new and private setting to kill their teacher who was threatening to blow up earth if he was still alive by the end of the school year. But he figured he could afford to be honest about his enthusiasm for their upcoming endeavours.

"That's…interesting." Lisa said, clearly at a loss on how to react. Nagisa could have taken that as a cue to talk a bit about his school, but he didn't know how to explain Kunugigaoka. Octopus teacher notwithstanding, no normal school was like Kunugigaoka, the melting pot of dysfunction. How could he expect this high school girl to understand it? She didn't even look as if she came from this district in the first place. So instead, he just nodded.

"Yeah, it is. So, should I get someone to come and take our orders?"

"Mhm." Lisa nodded, and sat back again. Nagisa scanned the café and managed to flag down a harried looking waitress. To save annoyance, he checked what Lisa wanted before the waitress got there, and then said the orders for both of them. When the waitress disappeared, the two teenagers stopped talking to each other, and they both did their own thing, Nagisa checking for messages from his classmates about the assassination plan and memorising all the weaknesses of Koro-sensei's he'd written down, Lisa staring at her own phone but not doing anything with it.

The phone in Lisa's hand buzzed every so often, but she didn't seem bothered, simply boring holes through it with her eyes, as if she was seeking something deep under the surface of the phone. She wasn't making a noise, but Nagisa found himself disturbed by her apparent apathy. So, in the same way he'd been observing Koro-sensei and cataloguing facts about him, he began to collect information on Lisa. A high-school female with dark hair and haunted eyes. Jumpy, tense, introverted and sad. She ignored her phone despite clinging to it. She was pale, and her clothes and shoes were soaked, presumably from the rain of the night before. She was carrying a large hold-all, similar to what he would pack for his school trip. Her movements when she'd entered the café had been staggering, jerky and unsure, as if she was incredibly sleep deprived. She didn't seem to want to be noticed, but she had accepted his impulse invitation….all these little things coalesced and pulled themselves together, and when her phone vibrated again, and he caught a glimpse of the screen, these little things became one single answer: _Runaway._

Feeling some sense of social responsibility, Nagisa opened his mouth to ask Lisa something, anything that could confirm or deny his observations, but at that moment the waitress returned with their orders. Nagisa bit back a frustrated groan, and then thanked the waitress, helping her offload the food and drinks. The waitress left quickly to attend to another table, and Nagisa decided to try again. But he was interrupted again, but this time, it was Lisa who was responsible for the interruption, and it was a surprising one at that.

"Say, Shiota-kun…do you think this is the year we'll all die?"

 **…**

As soon as the words had snuck out of her mouth, she regretted them, for Nagisa's mouth fell to the table in complete utter astonishment, and the look her gave her was one of bafflement. He forcibly shut his mouth with his hand, and then stuttered and stammered for a long while, trying to formulate a proper response, even as she panicked and backtracked and apologised for her stupidity. Eventually though, they both gave up their protests, and lapsed back into quietness. Chastened, Lisa just stared at her strawberry cake and nibbled at spoonfuls of it, while Nagisa bit into his crepe.

"I…I don't think we'll die." Nagisa ventured eventually. "I mean, sure, having most of the moon disappear should have spelt the end of us, but…but it's been an entire season since then, and we're still here, right? "

"Uhm…" she'd actually been trying to hint at the terrorist attacks that Hisami and Kokonoe (aka Sphinx) had been behind. But apparently Nagisa hadn't thought of that, latching onto the unrelated moon explosion instead. But hey, he didn't even come from her part of Tokyo, and he was young. And he was obviously quite quirky (why else would his hair be in ponytails?), so maybe he was a budding astronomer or something. So she supposed it wasn't too odd that his response was what it was…

"That…wasn't what you were trying to talk about, was it, Mishima-san?" Nagisa reddened. "Sorry."

"No, no. It's fine. "She appeased. "The moon thing was a little scary, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and weird too." Nagisa laughed hollowly at his own words. _A snake._ Lisa shook away her worry. Such a diminutive boy, there was no way he could be as dangerous as Sphinx. _He isn't Hisami-kun._

"But, you're right, in the end that didn't really matter, because it didn't do anything to us. But the explosion at the Government Building, and the one at the police station and….when do those end? When someone actually dies? When the world is destroyed? How long…how long will it take for things to reach that point? I…I just can't help but wonder that-"

Suddenly aware of the rising pitch of her voice, she paused. _Why am I being so honest with him? What makes me believe he understands any of this? I don't know, but yet…I think we're the same._

"The Government Building? You mean the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building? "Nagisa asked, his forehead wrinkling. "What do you…oh, wait. Never mind. I'd forgotten about that."

Nagisa hit his forehead mockingly with the palm of his hand and sighed. He muttered something under his breath, and all Lisa could catch from that was something about that 'damned octopus'. Which didn't particularly make any sense in any context that she could think of. _Yup, he's a weird one._ He sighed deeply and looked at Lisa.

"That was the big attack in the news, right? The one that happened after that large power-cut near…Shinjuku? Didn't they say that some group called 'Sphinx' claimed responsibility for it using some video or other?" Nagisa ventured, tilting his head at Lisa, clearly wondering why she would bring it up. She was wondering the same thing herself.

"Mhm. My class was in there, on that day. Trip of our own."

Once again, Nagisa's jaw dropped open.

"Wow, seriously? You were caught in the middle of a terrorist attack? That must have been so scary! How did you manage to get out? Did you get hurt? Did anyone get hurt? "Nagisa's voice was full of concern, but he was also quite clearly being…well, a boy. _To be fair, it does all seem like the plot of an action movie. I bet my real involvement in the events would bug him out even more. If I told him that Kokonoe declared me an accomplice, because I valued my life, he would…well, I don't know. I guess I'd stun him. But it's not like I'm going to say anything about all that._ Lisa shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. We were all evacuated at the first sign of danger and…yeah, no one was hurt. But it was pretty damn scary." _Understatement of the century._ Sobered, Nagisa nodded seriously.

"I can't even imagine." He stated, simply.

"Hmmm." Lisa stared down at her piece of cake, and toyed with it. She shovelled a spoonful and brought it up to her mouth and bit in. And then she took another bite, and another bite, and another bite. Suddenly, she was hungry again. So very, very ravenous. And just like that, the conversation between them died, and they concentrated upon their consumables.

 **…**

Since it turned out they had fairly similar eating paces, Nagisa and Lisa ended up leaving at the same time. And as they left, Nagisa found himself realising that he'd just spent time in the company of a very, very broken girl. One who needed help. But how could he do that? They had danced around each other in all their attempts at talking, particularly when they'd arrived at the topic of explosions. Hell, he'd nearly given himself away! But he needed to do something, that was for sure. After all, they were the same. The glance he'd gotten of her phone, of that ignored call from Lisa's mother, told him this. They were the same. And if he didn't have the task of killing Koro-sensei, if he didn't have the assassination classroom to anchor him, he was sure that he'd be in Lisa's position instead. And if he had been in her position, that would mean that she would have be in his. But what could anchor a girl like her?

He ruminated on this as they navigated their way out of the café. He was sure, once they'd said their goodbyes, that was it. He'd go home, help his mother put away the shopping and then go on to pack for his trip. Lisa would wander onto wherever it was she was wandering, and who knew what would occur after that? Sure, she was older, but older did not necessarily mean better. His school life could testify to that. _This doesn't sit well with me. Let me try something. Anything._

"Mishima-san."

The two of them stopped outside the door of the café, then stepped to the side so they were not in the way. Lisa regarded him quizzically.

"What is it, Shiota-kun?"

"Uh…" Given that at the beginning, he'd said that she didn't need to tell him anything about herself, he felt a little impertinent, but he ploughed on anyway.

"Mishima-san, where is it you're going after this?"

"I, um." Lisa stopped, and stared. She didn't elaborate, but it was clear to Nagisa what her silence said. _I don't know._

"Okay, okay. You're basically a sempai, so you're probably more with it than I am, but…."

Nagisa rifled in his pockets and located his pen, but realised that he'd left his notebook in his tote bag, so he put all the bags he was carrying down on the ground, and then he went through the bag. When his hand hit fabric though, he stilled. _Get rid of the dress-_ it was the last item on his own personal list. He conjured up a mental image of the dress, and superimposed it over Lisa, who owl-blinked at him as she shuffled from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable yet unable to leave. _Good, stay a moment._ When he was satisfied with the image, he dug deep down and found the dress, and pulled it out along with the notebook. Hanging the garment over his arm, he found a blank page in the notebook, scrawled on it, and ripped out the page. He then handed over this sheet as well as the garment.

Lisa blinked, grasping both things with both hands. She shook out the dress, and studied the blue material, the knee-length skirt, the slightly frilly sleeves and the wave patterns picked out in white. Then, she looked at the sheet of paper he'd given her, which had his name and phone number written on it.

"I-I don't understand, Shiota-kun."

"An extra change of clothes. And a way to reach me." He stated, simply. He felt himself blushing with shame, and he just hoped that Lisa wouldn't ask why a boy was carrying around a dress.

"But…I'm a stranger, and don't you need…."

"No, I don't need it. And…" he wanted to say that they weren't strangers, but in a way, they were. But they'd still encountered each other, each at a highly charged time of their lives. He could not force her to go home, or take her to a police station, or anything like that. But he could give her a chance to save what she had, a lifeline to take if she chose to. And he was sure that if it came to it, he could ask Karasuma to help him help Lisa. Karasuma was not like most adults he'd encountered- he actually cared, for one thing. And being in a position of power made him a better source of support than Nagisa, as a scrawny middle schooler, ever could. But Lisa wouldn't get to encounter Karasuma and the help he could give if he didn't make the link first.

"And…we might be strangers, but if you ever want a friend…" _If you need to talk to someone who is the same as you, if you ever find yourself needing an anchor to the world and lacking it…_ "Then you know how to reach me."

"I…I…should be okay. But thank you." Some spark of determination reappeared in Lisa's eyes, and Nagisa sighed. Perhaps he'd done some good today. Lisa folded the paper carefully and tucked it in a side pocket of her holdall, then hung the blue dress over her arm and nodded at him.

"Thank you, Shiota-kun."

And just like that, she blended into the crowds and disappeared. If it wasn't for the ache in his soul and the lightness of his tote bag, Nagisa may as well have just imagined her.

 **…**

The bench on the sidewalk was cold in the dark of night as Lisa stared at her phone once again. This time though, she wasn't being blank. Her mother had given up a few hours ago, after all. Instead, she clutched a piece of paper with a name and number on it, and thought of what to write to the unusual middle school boy who had reached out to her. She couldn't do what he obviously wanted, which was to call him and admit that she was alone in the world and needed help. _In any case, how could he help me?_ So what could she say?

Somewhere deep in the corners of her mind, she remembered what it was to have kindness extended to her, and what the gratitude at these acts felt like. _Thank you._ That was what she needed to say, but for some reason, the phrase didn't seem to make any sense in her mind. But she tried it, anyway, opening a blank message, entering Nagisa's number into the appropriate section, then typing in those words.

 _It's all spinning_. Type, delete, type, delete. No matter how she attempted to write a simple sentence of gratitude, the letters and syllables blended to create something beyond her understanding. Lisa sighed, and closed her eyes tight. _Is there a point, really? Like he's really going to try and help you! After all, they didn't come, did they? They didn't come. So there's no point._ All the same, she could feel the soft cool dryness of the dress Nagisa had given her against her skin. So she opened her eyes again, and tried and tried and tried, typing, deleting, typing, deleting. And eventually, she came up with a sentence that she could comprehend.

 _I threw off my wet shoes._

But even that was a stupid sentence. Stupid, just like she was, for venturing away like she did, for ever believing in anything. There was no point in sending this sentence, no point at all. Who could guarantee that he would understand what she was on about, even if the looks he'd given her over the café table indicated that they were more similar than what was hinted at? Nobody could, that was the thing. Nothing could be guaranteed, that was the problem. _Goddammit, I am still so tired. Both of life, and of sitting here._

With a great effort, she hoisted herself up, still holding her phone in one hand and the piece of paper in another, and after making sure her bag was still slung across her body, she started to trudge forward into the night. She didn't know where she'd go now, since Hisami hadn't come. But she'd go, all the same. Because she could not go back. And she would not go back. So she trudged forward into the night, ready to disappear into the darkness once and for all. If the world could not disappear, she would do so instead.

And then, all of a sudden, even though it was still dark, the sun came out again from around a corner, heading towards her. The brilliance stopped her in her tracks, and she stood there, sure it was a trick. But then he tilted his head, and smiled. That was all she needed, and a sudden warmth flowed through her, and she ran towards him, misgivings forgotten.

She also forgot the danger associated with wandering too close to the sun. And she forgot the paper that had been in her hand as it quietly fluttered away and latched onto a silent breeze, slipping away from her forever.

 **…**

"Yo, Nagisa, who are you texting?" Sugino asked curiously, peering over Nagisa's shoulder to look at his phone screen.

"Nobody."

This was true. Nagisa wasn't texting anyone. Instead, he was pulling off a Lisa, staring at his phone and wondering if a message would arrive. _Because if it had been me who'd been in that position, wouldn't I take the hand that had been stretched out to me?_ He was lucky enough that he didn't need to know what he would do in that position, but apparently Lisa wasn't going to take the hand he had held out. _Maybe I should tell someone._

"Perhaps it is not a case of Nagisa-kun trying to message someone so much as the possibility that he is waiting for a message from someone else."

Ritsu appeared on the screen to give this pronouncement, and Nagisa sighed deeply.

"Thanks for that, Ritsu." He deadpanned. Ritsu winked at him, as if understanding his sarcasm, before flickering away. Nagisa sighed deeply, the sea breeze ruffling his hair and tickling his face.

"Oho, waiting?" Karma interjected, walking across to him as he spun an anti-sensei knife between his fingers, also peering at the screen. "Did you get a girlfriend at last?"

"Nagisa has a _girlfriend_?!" Kayano squawked, turning away from where she had been happily chatting with Kanzaki and Manami. Nagisa clamped down on a chuckle at his green-haired friend's affronted facial expression.

"No, Kayano, Karma-kun, I _don't_ have a girlfriend." He reassured wearily. Kayano glared suspiciously while Karma waggled his eyebrows. Sugino, however, was more scolding.

"Well, if you don't have a girlfriend who needs constant attention then get off your phone, Nagisa! Look, we're on a freaking _luxury cruise_!"

Sugino made an all-encompassing gesture to indicate the deck of the ship, and Nagisa looked up and around at it. Isogai, Maehara, Kimura, Megu and Okano were all in the middle of the deck, brandishing anti-sensei knives and chasing a stripy faced Koro-sensei around and around in ever decreasing circles. Yada and Hinano were hanging onto Irina's every word as she told them some story or other, while Karasuma lay in a deckchair somehow managing to be both very relaxed an rather vigilant all at the same time as he divided his time between watching proceedings and reading a book. He caught Nagisa's eye and nodded once. Nagisa lifted a hand in return, smiling waveringly.

 _Tell someone about Mishima-san…_ Nagisa blinked and forced the thought away so he could try and see what else there was to see. He also saw Terasaka's group sunbathing and sulking on deck, somewhat predictably. Somewhere out of sight Rio was cheekily trying to suggest to Okajima that going to spy on the private place Chiba and Hayami had carved out for themselves would be a productive thing to do while Sugaya and Mimura happily discussed their arts. Then there were his friends, surrounding him, worrying about him and teasing him in equal measure _. This is what is keeping me here. They are my anchors._

"Yeah, you're right." Nagisa conceded resignedly. He locked his phone screen, then after a moment he changed his mind and turned the screen back on again so he could shut down the phone completely. Then, he tucked it safely into one of his many zippered pockets before standing up, using one of the railings to maneuverer himself.

"So, "Nagisa said, taking the wide expanse of blue, thinking of the surprising wideness of the world. "What should we do?"

"I'm joining the fray." Karma declared shortly, even as his gold eyes danced with merriment. He strode off languidly, spinning his knife all the while, and soon he too was stabbing at Koro-sensei while spinning in ever decreasing circles. Sugino and the others stared a while, before Kayano recovered first.

"Oh, there are lots of things we need to get done before we arrive at the island!" she said cheerily, grabbing Nagisa's wrist and dragging him along, Sugino, Kanzaki and Manami jogging to follow. They were all laughing under the sunshine, and although Nagisa was finding it difficult to walk normally while was being dragged with such zeal, he too found himself laughing. And laughing, and laughing.

And just like that, the ache in his soul disappeared, taking away all the thoughts that had come with it, as though their cause had never existed.

 **…**

 _While the boy called Nagisa Shiota laughed, squabbled and planned assassinations with his classmates and friends, the girl called Lisa Mishima slept on the old sofa of a tiny apartment, caught in the grey between-land known as a fever._

 _And while in this fever, she dreamt herself on a beach, a wide, wide beach, the vivid bright blue waves lapping at her feet, drenching what they were clad in. She looked across the sea, looking for a boat, one that he had said would come, but never did. But she waited and waited, trying to wring every last possibility out of the words she'd been given, in the same way that she twisted her skirt in her hands to wring out the sea water, letting it return to whence it came._

 _But eventually, in the way of all hopes, she tired of standing and waiting, and so she turned her attention to the sun in the sky. It could burn her, she knew it, but at least it had come for her, just like it had said. And now, she needed to join the sun, up there in the sky, to repay it. So she took a step, and another step, and another one. And then, with her hands reaching up as though it could just grab chunks out of the cerulean silk, she jumped up, up and away, towards the fatal allure of the sun's smile._

 _The waves of the sea wasted no time in deleting her footprints, smoothing out the imprints that she had made. Soon, it was as if nobody had ever stepped on the sand before. The beach had other people to greet, to shelter, to entertain. The beach had other feelings to take care of, and so it did not need any traces of this one errant girl. And she had made her decision, her decision to live, and now she was up there, flying high to terrains unknown. So it was not as if she'd notice anyway._

 _But even so, the beach and the waves let the pair of soaked shoes that had been left on its tideline be._

* * *

 **So ...this. I'm really not sure what, exactly, made me think that this was an idea worth writing, but ever since it came to me a couple of weeks ago it just wouldn't leave me alone, so I made it my next Sunday one-shot project. And here it is! The title of the story is a line at the end of the PolyphonicBranch song 'Suna no Shiro' , and as you might have noticed I've tried to weave that line into the story as both an actual line and a theme/metaphor. But again, I have no idea what made me select the title in the first place. Anyway, I am genuinely interested in what you make of my idea of connecting Nagisa and Lisa in the first place, as they do have a lot of parallels, in my mind at least. So tell me what you think.**

 **And I kind of feel this idea had the potential to make an interesting multi-chapter crossover, but I haven't the wherewithal for it. So if you want to take on this idea and develop it please do so! Just let me know about it and then send me a link once you have begun it so I may have a read of it too!** **What else? Oh, yeah, some of the drably aspects of this are a little disjointed, particularly in Lisa's parts, but this was deliberate on my part, as I was trying to portray her frail state of mind. And obviously, this is very AU within both fandoms, so do take that into mind as well.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this, and please leave feedback!**

 **(P.S: Hey, did you notice?! After more than four years on this site I finally figured out how to put in the horizontal line break things! I'm so weird haha!)**


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